June 21: The Strength of a Hairpin

Deneisha Campbell-Davy
Kings SDA Church

Theme: Small but Mighty in God's Hands

Scripture: Judges 4:21 (NIV)

“But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.”

My Story:

In my early years as a preschool teacher, I thought my job was small and insignificant, as people saw preschool as a place where they would leave their children for daycare and play. It was never seen as an institution of learning. Early childhood practitioners were surprisingly not seen as teachers. However, after serving the youngest persons of our community for over 20 years, I see my now young adults, grown and doing great things for themselves. I feel a sense of pure joy. I had the opportunity to shape the minds of the smallest humans in our society. My encouragement for you today is, whatever you find your hands to do, do it with all your might, as God can use “the least of these” to bring glory to His name.

Devotional:

At first glance, a tent peg and a hammer don’t seem like the instruments of a warrior. They're tools for setting up camp, not weapons of war. Yet in the hands of a woman named Jael, they became mighty instruments used by God to bring down a powerful enemy of Israel.

This story from Judges 4 reminds us of a powerful truth: God delights in using the small, the overlooked, and the unlikely to accomplish great things.

Imagine Jael’s situation—no sword, no army, no commanding position—just an ordinary woman with household tools. But what made the difference wasn’t the tools she had; it was whose hands they were in and who was guiding her actions. Jael acted with courage, wisdom, and a deep sense of timing. And God honoured that.

Too often, we disqualify ourselves from God's work, thinking we don't have enough—enough strength, enough knowledge, enough resources, or even enough status. But God's Kingdom operates differently. In His hands, a shepherd boy's sling can defeat a giant. A widow’s last meal can sustain a prophet. A tent peg can bring victory to a nation.

Even a small and seemingly insignificant hairpin can hold something together with surprising strength. Like Jael’s tent peg, a hairpin reminds us that stability, influence, and power often come in small, unexpected packages. When surrendered to God, our "small" things become powerful.

 Reflection Questions:

1. What “small” gifts, tools, or opportunities do you have right now that God could use for something greater?
2. Are there areas where you've underestimated your impact because you don’t feel “strong enough”?
3. How can you invite God to work through your ordinary circumstances today?

 Prayer:

Lord, thank You for reminding me that even the smallest things can become mighty in Your hands. Help me not to despise my limitations or underestimate what You can do through me. Give me the courage of Jael, the willingness to act when You call, and the faith to believe that what I have is enough when it's surrendered to You. Use me, Lord, for Your glory. Amen.